Sue Penn
Sparkling Sue: Artist & entrepreneur, Sue Penn’s passion for fabric led her to start her own business, Fine Lines Fabric Co.
By: Cynthia Van Hazinga
Sue Penn is a great example of an American woman entrepreneur. Hard working and energetic, she has a special shine and a sure point of view. She’s always looking for a way to express herself artistically, and then often turns it into a business. All while raising four kids in the charming college town of Mount Vernon, Iowa, where she’s lived ever since she came to study at Cornell College.
Sue’s husband Bob is a native of the town, and four years ago, they bought land adjoining their family’s house, an old orchard that had been in the family for generations. Now they tend 10 antique trees and 100 new trees of heirloom species. (Can we predict an apple orchard line of fabric?)
Bright and Bold
Foremost, Sue is an artist. She loves color and she loves pattern and has designed probably everything from embroidery patterns to stationery. When she has time, she paints in oils and acrylics. She started sewing with an old black Singer and took to it like ice cream.
No one was really surprised when, after designing quilt fabrics on her own for about 15 years, she started her own company, Fine Lines Fabric. Maybe it was Sue’s marketing director, Cheryl Jukich, who said it first: “You know, we should start our own fabric company.” It was clearly the thing to do. Launching twelve lines of fabric in the first year, Sue says, “I hope we’ll grow to 50 or 60 a year.”
Go for Color
Generally, Sue does the design of a new line, then sends it out for artwork. “I really like color,” Sue says, “I was one of the first fabric designers to do brights.” She’s not into neutrals or muddy “country” colors, but sometimes uses black.
Sue starts with a theme and a focal print: butterflies in one bright new Fine Lines collection, Butterfly Garden, and bold graphics in another, Ellie’s Emporium; both available in early 2010. Avery, a strong collection with lots of purple and yellow, was inspired by an antique French fabric she discovered, and joyful, floral Rue de Fleur was inspired by a 19th-century painting, probably originally used for wallpaper. Fine Lines’ first basic line, the versatile Watermark has become very popular, and the Rue Crackle collection, mostly solids, fits the moment when a quilter “needs a little something right there.”
Just What You Need
Once the focal print and concept for the line is secure, Sue devises patterns and color coordinates to support it. She’ll experiment with colorways until she gets just what she likes. “I send the art off to have it prepared for printing, and check and re-check the accuracy of pattern and color.” Sue is well known for being a perfectionist when it comes to color quality. In fact, that’s Fine Lines’ stated mission: to bring quality cotton quilting fabrics to retailers worldwide. Quilters, rejoice!
To find out more:
Sue Penn visit www.finelinesfabric.comTags: Spotlight on Designer
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